Wonderful - this is what everyone is getting for Christmas this year!, 09 Oct 2008
A great book about medicine, and to a lesser extent science. Lots of stuff about statistics and evidence-based medicine, clearly explained. Goldacre is just brilliant - witty, charming, sensible. Buy this, read it, give it to your friends who take homeopathic remedies for non-existent conditions. Give it your friends who work for drug companies too. Above all, give it to anyone who works in the media, in the hope that they might acquire a modicum of scientific literacy.

Thoroughly excellent, 07 Oct 2008
A thoroughly excellent book from a practising doctor and medical researcher, who is also one of the few science journalists to actually understand scientific method. He is nearly a lone voice in the media, exposing the astonishing journey of 'health news' from the pages of academic journals to the tabloids and broadsheets, without passing through a critical brain in between. Thus, on a daily basis, the papers produce "X CAUSES/CURES CANCER" stories, based on very shaky understanding of experiments done in a petri dish. Whilst these stories may give false hope or fear to thousands of people, which is bad enough, in the case of MMR, they actually caused harm. He also explains how and why science fails to explain itself clearly and loudly in the face of emotionally charged 'my son has autism due to MMR' stories.

Goldacre also lays bare the facts about such 'complementary' therapies such as Homeopathy and Nutritionism, which when stripped of the accolades given them in the media, are revealed to be little more than eccentric ideas which somehow have gained unquestioning credence in the popular mind, and even, perversely, created a deep-rooted suspicion of maninstream medicine which is now taken at face value.

I thoroughly recommend this book, especially for journalists, but it is also essential reading for scientists, doctors and anyone who finds their mouth flapping when trying to put their friends / family straight on why spending 100 quid on dipping their feet in water and watching it go brown is a spectacular waste of money.

Final thoughts - if this book demonstrates how bad science reporting is, what else is being reported badly that we should know about? Finance? Politics? Help!! Also, why is there no organisation with teeth that can bring people to account for irresponsible reporting? A free press is central to our world of course, but not a wild press, trampling all over everyone and everything without so much as a backward glance.

a must read book, 05 Oct 2008
This is one of those books that you read and then imemdiately want to purchase for virtually everybody you know - the ones who will already agree, and the ones who will argue (using bad science) until they are blue in the face.
This is an amusing, informative and very interesting read that addresses some highly disturbing stories, such as the MMR media hoax, MRSA testing, "studies" involving thousands of children, the qualifications of certain "doctors" and many more besides.
At the same time as drawing our attention to these issues we also learn about scientific testing, statistics, health related matters and more, but in a way that amazingly is not patronising, not overly simplified and highly entertaining.
This is a book where you definitely learn a great deal, but laugh a lot at the same time. This was one of those books where I found myself "tsktsking" and shaking my head whilst on the bus, and exclaiming "hah, listen to this" to my bemused housemate whenever something particularly caught my attention.
I would urge everyone to read this book, it should be compulsory reading for teens and adult alike. I have a feeling a lot of my friends may find this in their stocking this xmas!
Now stop reading reviews and add it to your basket ;-)

An Example To Us All, 03 Oct 2008
This is an important book, which should be read by everyone. The spread of "foo" and "pseudoscience" is creating a world of superstition and irrational thinking, which needs to be corrected before the advances of the Enlightenment are lost to history. When people are bombarded with "science" which has been "modified" and/or "selected" by PR departments, from every direction, it's hardly surprising that such garbage is given the credibility it doesn't deserve. In this book Ben Goldacre shows just how close to home it can be.

He writes in a very chatty style and the first word that came to mind was "passionate". The misrepresentation and deliberate misleading of the public by the media, is clearly very close to Ben's heart. As others have said, it is very similar in style and content to the website, which is hardly surprising.

All-in-all a creditable and important first effort which deserves all the positive reviews. I hope he can do more in the future. What would be even more satisfying though, would be if other scientists and journalists could follow his example and show this "pseudoscientific" garbage for what it really is. An excellent read. Buy it !

An excellent primer in your bulls**t detection studies, 02 Oct 2008
A quick, well-paced, well-structured and all-round excellent introduction to critical thinking and cutting through the media myth surrounding everything.

Everyone should read this.

Wonderful - this is what everyone is getting for Christmas this year!, 09 Oct 2008
A great book about medicine, and to a lesser extent science. Lots of stuff about statistics and evidence-based medicine, clearly explained. Goldacre is just brilliant - witty, charming, sensible. Buy this, read it, give it to your friends who take homeopathic remedies for non-existent conditions. Give it your friends who work for drug companies too. Above all, give it to anyone who works in the media, in the hope that they might acquire a modicum of scientific literacy.

Thoroughly excellent, 07 Oct 2008
A thoroughly excellent book from a practising doctor and medical researcher, who is also one of the few science journalists to actually understand scientific method. He is nearly a lone voice in the media, exposing the astonishing journey of 'health news' from the pages of academic journals to the tabloids and broadsheets, without passing through a critical brain in between. Thus, on a daily basis, the papers produce "X CAUSES/CURES CANCER" stories, based on very shaky understanding of experiments done in a petri dish. Whilst these stories may give false hope or fear to thousands of people, which is bad enough, in the case of MMR, they actually caused harm. He also explains how and why science fails to explain itself clearly and loudly in the face of emotionally charged 'my son has autism due to MMR' stories.

Goldacre also lays bare the facts about such 'complementary' therapies such as Homeopathy and Nutritionism, which when stripped of the accolades given them in the media, are revealed to be little more than eccentric ideas which somehow have gained unquestioning credence in the popular mind, and even, perversely, created a deep-rooted suspicion of maninstream medicine which is now taken at face value.

I thoroughly recommend this book, especially for journalists, but it is also essential reading for scientists, doctors and anyone who finds their mouth flapping when trying to put their friends / family straight on why spending 100 quid on dipping their feet in water and watching it go brown is a spectacular waste of money.

Final thoughts - if this book demonstrates how bad science reporting is, what else is being reported badly that we should know about? Finance? Politics? Help!! Also, why is there no organisation with teeth that can bring people to account for irresponsible reporting? A free press is central to our world of course, but not a wild press, trampling all over everyone and everything without so much as a backward glance.

a must read book, 05 Oct 2008
This is one of those books that you read and then imemdiately want to purchase for virtually everybody you know - the ones who will already agree, and the ones who will argue (using bad science) until they are blue in the face.
This is an amusing, informative and very interesting read that addresses some highly disturbing stories, such as the MMR media hoax, MRSA testing, "studies" involving thousands of children, the qualifications of certain "doctors" and many more besides.
At the same time as drawing our attention to these issues we also learn about scientific testing, statistics, health related matters and more, but in a way that amazingly is not patronising, not overly simplified and highly entertaining.
This is a book where you definitely learn a great deal, but laugh a lot at the same time. This was one of those books where I found myself "tsktsking" and shaking my head whilst on the bus, and exclaiming "hah, listen to this" to my bemused housemate whenever something particularly caught my attention.
I would urge everyone to read this book, it should be compulsory reading for teens and adult alike. I have a feeling a lot of my friends may find this in their stocking this xmas!
Now stop reading reviews and add it to your basket ;-)

An Example To Us All, 03 Oct 2008
This is an important book, which should be read by everyone. The spread of "foo" and "pseudoscience" is creating a world of superstition and irrational thinking, which needs to be corrected before the advances of the Enlightenment are lost to history. When people are bombarded with "science" which has been "modified" and/or "selected" by PR departments, from every direction, it's hardly surprising that such garbage is given the credibility it doesn't deserve. In this book Ben Goldacre shows just how close to home it can be.

He writes in a very chatty style and the first word that came to mind was "passionate". The misrepresentation and deliberate misleading of the public by the media, is clearly very close to Ben's heart. As others have said, it is very similar in style and content to the website, which is hardly surprising.

All-in-all a creditable and important first effort which deserves all the positive reviews. I hope he can do more in the future. What would be even more satisfying though, would be if other scientists and journalists could follow his example and show this "pseudoscientific" garbage for what it really is. An excellent read. Buy it !

An excellent primer in your bulls**t detection studies, 02 Oct 2008
A quick, well-paced, well-structured and all-round excellent introduction to critical thinking and cutting through the media myth surrounding everything.

Everyone should read this.

An excellent little book, 18 Jul 2008
This little gem of a book should be in every backpackers back pocket. Concise, focused and descriptive you'll have no trouble identifying the plants and shellfish. There has been some comments about lack of information on animals to eat, this is probably because rabbits, pheasants and such are classed as game and will belong to the landowner. Whilst it's ok to pick a few plants, mushrooms and shellfish it will probably be frowned on if you start blasting away at the countryside or setting traps!

A Handy Pocket Volume, 13 Aug 2007


Richard Mabey is the author of several books on flora and fauna so he is well qualified to write a book such as this. Over one hundred edible plants are featured together with recipes and other culinary information. There is also information on how to pick and when to pick and the regulations on picking which are very important. As I come from farming stock I have to say that food for free does not mean going into a field and digging up a few potato plants or for that matter cabbages.

There are plenty of hedgerow plants available for free, if you are prepared to look for them and suffer the odd few scratches. There is nothing better than a bowl of freshly picked blackberries or raspberries, if you can get them home before they are all eaten.

Plants that are edible are fully illustrated and described and the recipes are both old and new. Other fascinating information is how the plants have been used through the ages. An ideal book for all those who are nature lovers and like the idea of something for nothing. I think the last part covers 99.9% of the population.

Good Introduction, 02 May 2007
I bought this book recently through a desire to understand the countryside around me and try some of its natural foodstuffs.
The book is very well presented and includes an excellent foreword by the author. It provides a basic explaination of the various flora, a little of their natural and culinary history and there are nice photographs with identification hints.
I think I would like to have seen more recipies and ways in which they might be implemented. In the section dedicated to Spring I think there are only three recipies with much of the other suggestions directed towards salads. On balance a satisfactory purchase but I think that if my interest in wild foods develops I will certainly have to follow up my purchase with something more wholly dedicated to the culinary.

Excellent pocket sized guide, 05 Feb 2006
This is a 2004 version and worthy addition to the very popular and pocket-sized Collins Gem series. ISBN 0-00-718303-8. Food For Free - A Fantastic Feast of Plants and Folklore.

The book starts with an introduction by the author Richard Mabey. It then has short sections titled 'Roots', 'Green Vegetables', 'Herbs', 'Spices', 'Flowers', 'Fruits', 'Making Jellies and Jams' and 'Nuts'. They include general advice, observations and uses. The main section of the book is given over to identification, with at least two pages per entry. An interesting section follows titled ’Picking Rules’ which gives advice on how to pick correctly how to stay safe. The last section before the main body of the book is a summary calendar which groups the picking times for entries into a colour-coded calendar - very useful as a quick reference.

Every entry is accompanied with a drawing. Most of the drawings are excellent, but one or two are a little small and thus less detailed. Fortunately, almost every entry also has a photograph. The combination of colour drawings and colour photographs is what makes this little pocket book a true 'gem'. If the drawing is a little weak, the photo will be excellent and vice-versa. Almost fool proof.

Each entry starts with the common English name (Latin is in small type at the top of the page)a colour illustration and description. Taking Beech (at random), it says: 'Widespread and common throughout the British Isles, especially on chalky soils. A stately deciduous tree, with smooth, grey bark, to 40m (130ft). Leaves: bright green, alternate, oval. Flowers: male drooping, stalked heads; female in pairs. Fruit: four inside a prickly brown husk, Sept-Oct. When ripe this opens into four lobes, this liberating the brown, three-sided nuts.' The illustration depicts a leaf, spring twig with unopened buds, an opening husk revealing nut inside and bare nut. The article continues with headings; Harvest/Pick, Uses, Beech Nut, Beech Nut Oil, Beech Leaf Noyau. The photo at the end of the entry is a good close-up of a twig with a cluster of husks. (I didn’t know, for example, that ‘fresh from the tree Beech leaves are a fine salad vegetable, as sweet as a mild cabbage though much softer in texture’.)

The book, in line with its title, covers Plants and Trees, Fungi, Seaweeds and Shellfish. There is a glossary at the end and a page devoted to further reading. There is a List of Recipes and finally an index of entries in common English or Latin.

There aren't that many books devoted to 'British' wild foods so to find one which lists over 100 edible plants, berries, mushrooms, seaweed and shellfish is most welcome. Given the true pocket size measurements of the Collins Gem series of books, the price of a fiver (£4-99) and the quality of each entry, this is as good as it gets. Obviously not a benchmark reference work or field-guide, but at least this fits in the pocket - which is the main purpose of such books, isn't it? Five stars!

Excites the interest but not actually that practical, 26 Oct 2005
This is an excellent book but in the wrong package. Richard Mabey does a very good job of giving a seasonal guide to what's out there that you can have for free and does a respectable job of telling you how to use it. It falls short in two respects;

First it is not a comprehensive guide to any particular food source so while he may tell you how to cook ceps and morels and gives a reasonable guide to identifying it without this being a comprehensive guide to fungi you will never be entirely certain that what you have is a cep or a morel. To some extent that is true for everything he shows whether its fungi, nuts or fruit.

The second point is more significant for a book on foraging and is that this edition is simply too big to take into the field. In some ways this isn't a significant problem as because the book isn't comprehensive it wouldn't be the choice to take into the field with you.

This book falls somewhere between the coffee table forager's manual and Delia goes wild. Both of which might sound like criticisms but for someone who hasn't foraged wild food previously both of those would be the ideal starting point. If that's you then buy this book and read it but leave it at home when you go out and get a good field guide to take with you.

Note - since writing that review I have realised that this is available in several editions. Some of the other editions are small enough to use as a field guide.

What on earth is Bill Bryson doing writing a book of popular science--A Short History of Almost Everything? Largely, it appears, because this inquisitive, much-travelled writer realised, while flying over the Pacific, that he was entirely ignorant of the processes that created, populated and continue to maintain the vast body of water beneath him.

In fact, it dawned on him that "I didn't know the first thing about the only planet I was ever going to live on". The questions multiplied: What is a quark? How can anybody know how much the Earth weighs? How can astrophysicists (or whoever) claim to describe what happened in the first gazillionth of a nanosecond after the Big Bang? Why can't earthquakes be predicted? What makes evolution more plausible than any other theory? In the end, all these boiled down to a single question--how do scientists do science? To this subject Bryson devoted three years of his life, reading books and journals and pestering the people who know (or at least argue about it); and we non-scientists should be pretty grateful to him for passing his findings on to us.

Broadly, his investigations deal with seven topics, all of enormous interest and significance: the origins of the universe; the gradual historical discovery of the size and age of the earth (and the beginnings of the awesome notion of deep time); relativity and quantum theory; the present and future threats to life and the planet; the origins and history of life (dinosaurs, mass extinctions and all); and the evolution of man. Within each of these, he looks at the history of the subject, its development into a modern discipline and the frameworks of theory that now support it. This is a pretty broad brief (life, the universe and everything, in fact), and it's a mark of Bryson's skill that he is able to carve a clear path through the thickets of theory and controversy that infest all these disciplines, all the while maintaining a cracking pace and a fairly judicious tone without obvious longueurs or signs of haste. Even readers fairly familiar with some or all of these areas o! f discourse are likely to learn from A Short History. If not, they will at least be amused--the tone throughout is agreeable, mingling genuine awe with a mild facetiousness that often rises to wit.

One compelling theme that appears again and again is the utter unpredictability of the universe, despite all that we think we know about it. Nervous page-turners may care to omit the sensational chapters on the possible ways in which it all might end in disaster--Bryson enumerates with cheerful relish the kind of event that makes you want to climb under the bedclothes: undetectable asteroid colliding with the earth; superheated magma chamber erupting in your back garden; ebola carrier getting off a plane in London or New York; the HIV virus mutating to prevent its destruction in the mosquito's digestive system. Indeed, the chief theme of this sprightly book is the miraculous unlikeliness, in a universe ruled by randomness, of stability and equilibrium--of which one result is ourselves and the complex, fragile planet we inhabit. --Robin Davidson

Wonderful - this is what everyone is getting for Christmas this year!, 09 Oct 2008
A great book about medicine, and to a lesser extent science. Lots of stuff about statistics and evidence-based medicine, clearly explained. Goldacre is just brilliant - witty, charming, sensible. Buy this, read it, give it to your friends who take homeopathic remedies for non-existent conditions. Give it your friends who work for drug companies too. Above all, give it to anyone who works in the media, in the hope that they might acquire a modicum of scientific literacy.

Thoroughly excellent, 07 Oct 2008
A thoroughly excellent book from a practising doctor and medical researcher, who is also one of the few science journalists to actually understand scientific method. He is nearly a lone voice in the media, exposing the astonishing journey of 'health news' from the pages of academic journals to the tabloids and broadsheets, without passing through a critical brain in between. Thus, on a daily basis, the papers produce "X CAUSES/CURES CANCER" stories, based on very shaky understanding of experiments done in a petri dish. Whilst these stories may give false hope or fear to thousands of people, which is bad enough, in the case of MMR, they actually caused harm. He also explains how and why science fails to explain itself clearly and loudly in the face of emotionally charged 'my son has autism due to MMR' stories.

Goldacre also lays bare the facts about such 'complementary' therapies such as Homeopathy and Nutritionism, which when stripped of the accolades given them in the media, are revealed to be little more than eccentric ideas which somehow have gained unquestioning credence in the popular mind, and even, perversely, created a deep-rooted suspicion of maninstream medicine which is now taken at face value.

I thoroughly recommend this book, especially for journalists, but it is also essential reading for scientists, doctors and anyone who finds their mouth flapping when trying to put their friends / family straight on why spending 100 quid on dipping their feet in water and watching it go brown is a spectacular waste of money.

Final thoughts - if this book demonstrates how bad science reporting is, what else is being reported badly that we should know about? Finance? Politics? Help!! Also, why is there no organisation with teeth that can bring people to account for irresponsible reporting? A free press is central to our world of course, but not a wild press, trampling all over everyone and everything without so much as a backward glance.

a must read book, 05 Oct 2008
This is one of those books that you read and then imemdiately want to purchase for virtually everybody you know - the ones who will already agree, and the ones who will argue (using bad science) until they are blue in the face.
This is an amusing, informative and very interesting read that addresses some highly disturbing stories, such as the MMR media hoax, MRSA testing, "studies" involving thousands of children, the qualifications of certain "doctors" and many more besides.
At the same time as drawing our attention to these issues we also learn about scientific testing, statistics, health related matters and more, but in a way that amazingly is not patronising, not overly simplified and highly entertaining.
This is a book where you definitely learn a great deal, but laugh a lot at the same time. This was one of those books where I found myself "tsktsking" and shaking my head whilst on the bus, and exclaiming "hah, listen to this" to my bemused housemate whenever something particularly caught my attention.
I would urge everyone to read this book, it should be compulsory reading for teens and adult alike. I have a feeling a lot of my friends may find this in their stocking this xmas!
Now stop reading reviews and add it to your basket ;-)

An Example To Us All, 03 Oct 2008
This is an important book, which should be read by everyone. The spread of "foo" and "pseudoscience" is creating a world of superstition and irrational thinking, which needs to be corrected before the advances of the Enlightenment are lost to history. When people are bombarded with "science" which has been "modified" and/or "selected" by PR departments, from every direction, it's hardly surprising that such garbage is given the credibility it doesn't deserve. In this book Ben Goldacre shows just how close to home it can be.

He writes in a very chatty style and the first word that came to mind was "passionate". The misrepresentation and deliberate misleading of the public by the media, is clearly very close to Ben's heart. As others have said, it is very similar in style and content to the website, which is hardly surprising.

All-in-all a creditable and important first effort which deserves all the positive reviews. I hope he can do more in the future. What would be even more satisfying though, would be if other scientists and journalists could follow his example and show this "pseudoscientific" garbage for what it really is. An excellent read. Buy it !

An excellent primer in your bulls**t detection studies, 02 Oct 2008
A quick, well-paced, well-structured and all-round excellent introduction to critical thinking and cutting through the media myth surrounding everything.

Everyone should read this.

An excellent little book, 18 Jul 2008
This little gem of a book should be in every backpackers back pocket. Concise, focused and descriptive you'll have no trouble identifying the plants and shellfish. There has been some comments about lack of information on animals to eat, this is probably because rabbits, pheasants and such are classed as game and will belong to the landowner. Whilst it's ok to pick a few plants, mushrooms and shellfish it will probably be frowned on if you start blasting away at the countryside or setting traps!

A Handy Pocket Volume, 13 Aug 2007


Richard Mabey is the author of several books on flora and fauna so he is well qualified to write a book such as this. Over one hundred edible plants are featured together with recipes and other culinary information. There is also information on how to pick and when to pick and the regulations on picking which are very important. As I come from farming stock I have to say that food for free does not mean going into a field and digging up a few potato plants or for that matter cabbages.

There are plenty of hedgerow plants available for free, if you are prepared to look for them and suffer the odd few scratches. There is nothing better than a bowl of freshly picked blackberries or raspberries, if you can get them home before they are all eaten.

Plants that are edible are fully illustrated and described and the recipes are both old and new. Other fascinating information is how the plants have been used through the ages. An ideal book for all those who are nature lovers and like the idea of something for nothing. I think the last part covers 99.9% of the population.

Good Introduction, 02 May 2007
I bought this book recently through a desire to understand the countryside around me and try some of its natural foodstuffs.
The book is very well presented and includes an excellent foreword by the author. It provides a basic explaination of the various flora, a little of their natural and culinary history and there are nice photographs with identification hints.
I think I would like to have seen more recipies and ways in which they might be implemented. In the section dedicated to Spring I think there are only three recipies with much of the other suggestions directed towards salads. On balance a satisfactory purchase but I think that if my interest in wild foods develops I will certainly have to follow up my purchase with something more wholly dedicated to the culinary.

Excellent pocket sized guide, 05 Feb 2006
This is a 2004 version and worthy addition to the very popular and pocket-sized Collins Gem series. ISBN 0-00-718303-8. Food For Free - A Fantastic Feast of Plants and Folklore.

The book starts with an introduction by the author Richard Mabey. It then has short sections titled 'Roots', 'Green Vegetables', 'Herbs', 'Spices', 'Flowers', 'Fruits', 'Making Jellies and Jams' and 'Nuts'. They include general advice, observations and uses. The main section of the book is given over to identification, with at least two pages per entry. An interesting section follows titled ’Picking Rules’ which gives advice on how to pick correctly how to stay safe. The last section before the main body of the book is a summary calendar which groups the picking times for entries into a colour-coded calendar - very useful as a quick reference.

Every entry is accompanied with a drawing. Most of the drawings are excellent, but one or two are a little small and thus less detailed. Fortunately, almost every entry also has a photograph. The combination of colour drawings and colour photographs is what makes this little pocket book a true 'gem'. If the drawing is a little weak, the photo will be excellent and vice-versa. Almost fool proof.

Each entry starts with the common English name (Latin is in small type at the top of the page)a colour illustration and description. Taking Beech (at random), it says: 'Widespread and common throughout the British Isles, especially on chalky soils. A stately deciduous tree, with smooth, grey bark, to 40m (130ft). Leaves: bright green, alternate, oval. Flowers: male drooping, stalked heads; female in pairs. Fruit: four inside a prickly brown husk, Sept-Oct. When ripe this opens into four lobes, this liberating the brown, three-sided nuts.' The illustration depicts a leaf, spring twig with unopened buds, an opening husk revealing nut inside and bare nut. The article continues with headings; Harvest/Pick, Uses, Beech Nut, Beech Nut Oil, Beech Leaf Noyau. The photo at the end of the entry is a good close-up of a twig with a cluster of husks. (I didn’t know, for example, that ‘fresh from the tree Beech leaves are a fine salad vegetable, as sweet as a mild cabbage though much softer in texture’.)

The book, in line with its title, covers Plants and Trees, Fungi, Seaweeds and Shellfish. There is a glossary at the end and a page devoted to further reading. There is a List of Recipes and finally an index of entries in common English or Latin.

There aren't that many books devoted to 'British' wild foods so to find one which lists over 100 edible plants, berries, mushrooms, seaweed and shellfish is most welcome. Given the true pocket size measurements of the Collins Gem series of books, the price of a fiver (£4-99) and the quality of each entry, this is as good as it gets. Obviously not a benchmark reference work or field-guide, but at least this fits in the pocket - which is the main purpose of such books, isn't it? Five stars!

Excites the interest but not actually that practical, 26 Oct 2005
This is an excellent book but in the wrong package. Richard Mabey does a very good job of giving a seasonal guide to what's out there that you can have for free and does a respectable job of telling you how to use it. It falls short in two respects;

First it is not a comprehensive guide to any particular food source so while he may tell you how to cook ceps and morels and gives a reasonable guide to identifying it without this being a comprehensive guide to fungi you will never be entirely certain that what you have is a cep or a morel. To some extent that is true for everything he shows whether its fungi, nuts or fruit.

The second point is more significant for a book on foraging and is that this edition is simply too big to take into the field. In some ways this isn't a significant problem as because the book isn't comprehensive it wouldn't be the choice to take into the field with you.

This book falls somewhere between the coffee table forager's manual and Delia goes wild. Both of which might sound like criticisms but for someone who hasn't foraged wild food previously both of those would be the ideal starting point. If that's you then buy this book and read it but leave it at home when you go out and get a good field guide to take with you.

Note - since writing that review I have realised that this is available in several editions. Some of the other editions are small enough to use as a field guide.

A fascinating and exciting insight into our exsistence., 05 Oct 2008
Well I love a good Bill Bryson book and this is surely the best. As a travel writer he has kept me interested and amused with many an exciting journey but this rates as the best journey he has ever written. A journey that takes the layman on a travel experience spanning billions of years including an insight into all the sciences and ologies one can imagine. If only I had been able to read science at school like this...I might well have found an interest.

Overrated, 23 Sep 2008
I am skeptical of journalists or writers who think they can write a book about anything. Yeah sure they've a great gift for writing but that doesn't mean they have a great gift for understanding! All too often they think they understand something when they simply don't.

I really can't fathom that in a long book which is supposed to be a "all you need to know" about the science, the scientific method itself isn't even explained. This means the mechanism which establishes science as most objective and reliable paradigm we have for establishing objective truth about the universe is omitted. Now, there's a countless amount of facts, dates, figures and 'imagine this' type stuff all there with the assumed intent of making a reader go wow. All very well, some of it will fuse the imagination, but let's not forget that the scientific method is what defines science and differentiates between science and pseudo-science. Without it, we have no way of differentiating the reliability between the big bang theory and crystal healers.

Too many times, instead of explaining principles and concepts, Bryson opts for facts about dates. It really doesn't matter if it was 1915, 1916, or 1917 when Einstein published his theory on general relativity what matters is what it is saying, the concepts that underpin it and why we can be confident it's correct. In this regard, Byrson comes up well short. Someone like Simon Singh, Stephen Hawking, just about anyone with scientific training does a much better job.

He does make reasonable attempts at describing many of the Scientific theories, but there are times when his understanding is just way off.

For example, when he discusses the theory of evolution which is just as sound as the theory of gravity in terms of the scientific method. Both are testifiable, falsifiable, have huge amounts of evidence (one billion+ fossils and infinite amount of DNA evidence), been through the same peer reviewing processes etc. So, in scientific terms doubting evolution is like doubting gravity. It's just asinine. Perhaps Bryson should think about that the next time he gets on a plane.

His poor understanding insinutates that the lack of fossils found in human evolution may cast doubt on the theory. He sounds like a scientifically illiterate ignoramus who has just sifted their way through some intelligent design propaganda.

Why doesn't he point out the probability of fossilation is only about 1 / million and the probability of finding one about the same, which by simple mathematics make every fossil find of our ancestors species a miracle in statistical terms? Why doesn't he go through the simple mathematics in DNA which have confirmed evolution an infinite amount of times and provide even stronger evidence than fossils?

If you want a pop Science book so that you can understand science just skip this book. Science is a very area broad area now. Experts in Physics are not experts in Biology. Experts in Biology are not experts in Physics. A writer with no scientific expertise is certainly not an expert in anything scientific. If you really want to understand science, pick a branch of science and then pick the appropriate expert. Someone like Feymen for Physics, Dawkins for Biology or Hawking for the Universe.

Before you do any of that, make sure you understand the scientific method as described by Karl Popper. This is the framework that underpins all science and what makes science an exceptionally reliable paradigm. It's why planes fly and why we know the origins of all species on our planet.

If you couldn't give a monkeys about understanding and just want lots of scientific trivia; dates and names rather than any real understanding, yes sadly this book could be a runner.


Essential introduction to science!, 23 Sep 2008
This book is not only highy educational, but very entertaining, and Bryson's writting style makes it fun, and it keeps you craving for more.
If would be a good idea to make this read a compulsory High School one, to excite the curiosity and the thirst for knowledge of our students, considering the fact that the more we know, the more we love.
It is a nearly complete and thorough overview on the main principles of science. Wery well informed with plenty of historical anecdotes and curiosities. I have learned and laughed so much!!!
A genius's work.

Not for me, 25 Aug 2008
I started out with enthusiasm with this book but should have read the title a little more carefully. A short 'history'of nearly everything with the emphasis on HISTORY. This book goes into great detail on how and when each new bit of information was discovered with biographies of the scientists involved. This was not really what I wanted to read about as would prefer just to know the latest most up to date information and there are plenty much more interesting books on these topics, I have been browsing the Lonely Planet version on space and science which is illustrated and topical. Dont wish to offend fans of Bill Bryson, it is probably my mistake.

How to learn very little about quite a lot, 24 Aug 2008
Bill Bryson's book is an attempt to discuss the origins of life, the universe and everything contained therein. It's slightly tongue-in-cheek title indicates that this isn't going to be some heavyweight, academic discussion but more of a Now That's What I Call Science! After all, no book can seriously claim to be all-encompassing and completely comprehensive on any one subject, let alone "everything."

A Short History of Nearly Everything is clearly written to be a book that appeals to people who wouldn't normally want to read a whole book about gravity, molecular science, or paleontology; as a result, the book falls betwixt two stools: it skims superficially pretty much every subject it touches upon, so those only mildly interested won't learn much and those who have already read something on their specialised subject probably won't learn anything they didn't already know.

The first half of the book is the most interesting, containing some great anecdotes about the famous names of science (Newton, Darwin and so forth); this section shines and brings to life people whose names have become synonymous with their subject matter. However, as the various disciplines become more professionalised, the well of anecdotal material runs short, and the book loses much of its appeal.

One of the key themes of this work, which is not overtly stated but seems unmissable, is that the narrative of the history of science is quite different from how the mainstream media portrays science itself. Specifically, science is often presented as being the concept of a battle over evidence: how an idea is proposed, evidence is put forth in support, counterevidence is held up against it and ultimately, whichever theory fits most of the facts is deemed to be that which is most probable. This is not the case, according to Bryson's book. What is deemed to be scientifically true is determined just as much by factors of cultural acceptance as objective facts. Theories are put forth, ignored, then ridiculed, then, when the evidence becomes such that it can neither be marginalised nor mocked, the theory is embraced and history effectively rewritten so that science can be presented as being the onward march of progress and enlightenment. A reassuring but historically dubious narrative.

A Short History... is marketed around the "Bill Bryson" brand: his low-key charm, wit and self-effacing humour is meant to enliven the driest of subjects. Therefore, if you enjoy his style, then you will probably enjoy this book and indeed, the book was charmingly well written and certainly easy to consume. However, at best, A Short History of Nearly Everything is a shallow introduction to the key disciplines of the various sciences, animated by some fine anecdotal touches. Bryson's book will probably provide a drop-off point for those wishing to explore in greater breadth subjects of which their curiosity has been piqued.

Wonderful - this is what everyone is getting for Christmas this year!, 09 Oct 2008
A great book about medicine, and to a lesser extent science. Lots of stuff about statistics and evidence-based medicine, clearly explained. Goldacre is just brilliant - witty, charming, sensible. Buy this, read it, give it to your friends who take homeopathic remedies for non-existent conditions. Give it your friends who work for drug companies too. Above all, give it to anyone who works in the media, in the hope that they might acquire a modicum of scientific literacy.

Thoroughly excellent, 07 Oct 2008
A thoroughly excellent book from a practising doctor and medical researcher, who is also one of the few science journalists to actually understand scientific method. He is nearly a lone voice in the media, exposing the astonishing journey of 'health news' from the pages of academic journals to the tabloids and broadsheets, without passing through a critical brain in between. Thus, on a daily basis, the papers produce "X CAUSES/CURES CANCER" stories, based on very shaky understanding of experiments done in a petri dish. Whilst these stories may give false hope or fear to thousands of people, which is bad enough, in the case of MMR, they actually caused harm. He also explains how and why science fails to explain itself clearly and loudly in the face of emotionally charged 'my son has autism due to MMR' stories.

Goldacre also lays bare the facts about such 'complementary' therapies such as Homeopathy and Nutritionism, which when stripped of the accolades given them in the media, are revealed to be little more than eccentric ideas which somehow have gained unquestioning credence in the popular mind, and even, perversely, created a deep-rooted suspicion of maninstream medicine which is now taken at face value.

I thoroughly recommend this book, especially for journalists, but it is also essential reading for scientists, doctors and anyone who finds their mouth flapping when trying to put their friends / family straight on why spending 100 quid on dipping their feet in water and watching it go brown is a spectacular waste of money.

Final thoughts - if this book demonstrates how bad science reporting is, what else is being reported badly that we should know about? Finance? Politics? Help!! Also, why is there no organisation with teeth that can bring people to account for irresponsible reporting? A free press is central to our world of course, but not a wild press, trampling all over everyone and everything without so much as a backward glance.

a must read book, 05 Oct 2008
This is one of those books that you read and then imemdiately want to purchase for virtually everybody you know - the ones who will already agree, and the ones who will argue (using bad science) until they are blue in the face.
This is an amusing, informative and very interesting read that addresses some highly disturbing stories, such as the MMR media hoax, MRSA testing, "studies" involving thousands of children, the qualifications of certain "doctors" and many more besides.
At the same time as drawing our attention to these issues we also learn about scientific testing, statistics, health related matters and more, but in a way that amazingly is not patronising, not overly simplified and highly entertaining.
This is a book where you definitely learn a great deal, but laugh a lot at the same time. This was one of those books where I found myself "tsktsking" and shaking my head whilst on the bus, and exclaiming "hah, listen to this" to my bemused housemate whenever something particularly caught my attention.
I would urge everyone to read this book, it should be compulsory reading for teens and adult alike. I have a feeling a lot of my friends may find this in their stocking this xmas!
Now stop reading reviews and add it to your basket ;-)

An Example To Us All, 03 Oct 2008
This is an important book, which should be read by everyone. The spread of "foo" and "pseudoscience" is creating a world of superstition and irrational thinking, which needs to be corrected before the advances of the Enlightenment are lost to history. When people are bombarded with "science" which has been "modified" and/or "selected" by PR departments, from every direction, it's hardly surprising that such garbage is given the credibility it doesn't deserve. In this book Ben Goldacre shows just how close to home it can be.

He writes in a very chatty style and the first word that came to mind was "passionate". The misrepresentation and deliberate misleading of the public by the media, is clearly very close to Ben's heart. As others have said, it is very similar in style and content to the website, which is hardly surprising.

All-in-all a creditable and important first effort which deserves all the positive reviews. I hope he can do more in the future. What would be even more satisfying though, would be if other scientists and journalists could follow his example and show this "pseudoscientific" garbage for what it really is. An excellent read. Buy it !

An excellent primer in your bulls**t detection studies, 02 Oct 2008
A quick, well-paced, well-structured and all-round excellent introduction to critical thinking and cutting through the media myth surrounding everything.

Everyone should read this.

An excellent little book, 18 Jul 2008
This little gem of a book should be in every backpackers back pocket. Concise, focused and descriptive you'll have no trouble identifying the plants and shellfish. There has been some comments about lack of information on animals to eat, this is probably because rabbits, pheasants and such are classed as game and will belong to the landowner. Whilst it's ok to pick a few plants, mushrooms and shellfish it will probably be frowned on if you start blasting away at the countryside or setting traps!

A Handy Pocket Volume, 13 Aug 2007


Richard Mabey is the author of several books on flora and fauna so he is well qualified to write a book such as this. Over one hundred edible plants are featured together with recipes and other culinary information. There is also information on how to pick and when to pick and the regulations on picking which are very important. As I come from farming stock I have to say that food for free does not mean going into a field and digging up a few potato plants or for that matter cabbages.

There are plenty of hedgerow plants available for free, if you are prepared to look for them and suffer the odd few scratches. There is nothing better than a bowl of freshly picked blackberries or raspberries, if you can get them home before they are all eaten.

Plants that are edible are fully illustrated and described and the recipes are both old and new. Other fascinating information is how the plants have been used through the ages. An ideal book for all those who are nature lovers and like the idea of something for nothing. I think the last part covers 99.9% of the population.

Good Introduction, 02 May 2007
I bought this book recently through a desire to understand the countryside around me and try some of its natural foodstuffs.
The book is very well presented and includes an excellent foreword by the author. It provides a basic explaination of the various flora, a little of their natural and culinary history and there are nice photographs with identification hints.
I think I would like to have seen more recipies and ways in which they might be implemented. In the section dedicated to Spring I think there are only three recipies with much of the other suggestions directed towards salads. On balance a satisfactory purchase but I think that if my interest in wild foods develops I will certainly have to follow up my purchase with something more wholly dedicated to the culinary.

Excellent pocket sized guide, 05 Feb 2006
This is a 2004 version and worthy addition to the very popular and pocket-sized Collins Gem series. ISBN 0-00-718303-8. Food For Free - A Fantastic Feast of Plants and Folklore.

The book starts with an introduction by the author Richard Mabey. It then has short sections titled 'Roots', 'Green Vegetables', 'Herbs', 'Spices', 'Flowers', 'Fruits', 'Making Jellies and Jams' and 'Nuts'. They include general advice, observations and uses. The main section of the book is given over to identification, with at least two pages per entry. An interesting section follows titled ’Picking Rules’ which gives advice on how to pick correctly how to stay safe. The last section before the main body of the book is a summary calendar which groups the picking times for entries into a colour-coded calendar - very useful as a quick reference.

Every entry is accompanied with a drawing. Most of the drawings are excellent, but one or two are a little small and thus less detailed. Fortunately, almost every entry also has a photograph. The combination of colour drawings and colour photographs is what makes this little pocket book a true 'gem'. If the drawing is a little weak, the photo will be excellent and vice-versa. Almost fool proof.

Each entry starts with the common English name (Latin is in small type at the top of the page)a colour illustration and description. Taking Beech (at random), it says: 'Widespread and common throughout the British Isles, especially on chalky soils. A stately deciduous tree, with smooth, grey bark, to 40m (130ft). Leaves: bright green, alternate, oval. Flowers: male drooping, stalked heads; female in pairs. Fruit: four inside a prickly brown husk, Sept-Oct. When ripe this opens into four lobes, this liberating the brown, three-sided nuts.' The illustration depicts a leaf, spring twig with unopened buds, an opening husk revealing nut inside and bare nut. The article continues with headings; Harvest/Pick, Uses, Beech Nut, Beech Nut Oil, Beech Leaf Noyau. The photo at the end of the entry is a good close-up of a twig with a cluster of husks. (I didn’t know, for example, that ‘fresh from the tree Beech leaves are a fine salad vegetable, as sweet as a mild cabbage though much softer in texture’.)

The book, in line with its title, covers Plants and Trees, Fungi, Seaweeds and Shellfish. There is a glossary at the end and a page devoted to further reading. There is a List of Recipes and finally an index of entries in common English or Latin.

There aren't that many books devoted to 'British' wild foods so to find one which lists over 100 edible plants, berries, mushrooms, seaweed and shellfish is most welcome. Given the true pocket size measurements of the Collins Gem series of books, the price of a fiver (£4-99) and the quality of each entry, this is as good as it gets. Obviously not a benchmark reference work or field-guide, but at least this fits in the pocket - which is the main purpose of such books, isn't it? Five stars!

Excites the interest but not actually that practical, 26 Oct 2005
This is an excellent book but in the wrong package. Richard Mabey does a very good job of giving a seasonal guide to what's out there that you can have for free and does a respectable job of telling you how to use it. It falls short in two respects;

First it is not a comprehensive guide to any particular food source so while he may tell you how to cook ceps and morels and gives a reasonable guide to identifying it without this being a comprehensive guide to fungi you will never be entirely certain that what you have is a cep or a morel. To some extent that is true for everything he shows whether its fungi, nuts or fruit.

The second point is more significant for a book on foraging and is that this edition is simply too big to take into the field. In some ways this isn't a significant problem as because the book isn't comprehensive it wouldn't be the choice to take into the field with you.

This book falls somewhere between the coffee table forager's manual and Delia goes wild. Both of which might sound like criticisms but for someone who hasn't foraged wild food previously both of those would be the ideal starting point. If that's you then buy this book and read it but leave it at home when you go out and get a good field guide to take with you.

Note - since writing that review I have realised that this is available in several editions. Some of the other editions are small enough to use as a field guide.

A fascinating and exciting insight into our exsistence., 05 Oct 2008
Well I love a good Bill Bryson book and this is surely the best. As a travel writer he has kept me interested and amused with many an exciting journey but this rates as the best journey he has ever written. A journey that takes the layman on a travel experience spanning billions of years including an insight into all the sciences and ologies one can imagine. If only I had been able to read science at school like this...I might well have found an interest.

Overrated, 23 Sep 2008
I am skeptical of journalists or writers who think they can write a book about anything. Yeah sure they've a great gift for writing but that doesn't mean they have a great gift for understanding! All too often they think they understand something when they simply don't.

I really can't fathom that in a long book which is supposed to be a "all you need to know" about the science, the scientific method itself isn't even explained. This means the mechanism which establishes science as most objective and reliable paradigm we have for establishing objective truth about the universe is omitted. Now, there's a countless amount of facts, dates, figures and 'imagine this' type stuff all there with the assumed intent of making a reader go wow. All very well, some of it will fuse the imagination, but let's not forget that the scientific method is what defines science and differentiates between science and pseudo-science. Without it, we have no way of differentiating the reliability between the big bang theory and crystal healers.

Too many times, instead of explaining principles and concepts, Bryson opts for facts about dates. It really doesn't matter if it was 1915, 1916, or 1917 when Einstein published his theory on general relativity what matters is what it is saying, the concepts that underpin it and why we can be confident it's correct. In this regard, Byrson comes up well short. Someone like Simon Singh, Stephen Hawking, just about anyone with scientific training does a much better job.

He does make reasonable attempts at describing many of the Scientific theories, but there are times when his understanding is just way off.

For example, when he discusses the theory of evolution which is just as sound as the theory of gravity in terms of the scientific method. Both are testifiable, falsifiable, have huge amounts of evidence (one billion+ fossils and infinite amount of DNA evidence), been through the same peer reviewing processes etc. So, in scientific terms doubting evolution is like doubting gravity. It's just asinine. Perhaps Bryson should think about that the next time he gets on a plane.

His poor understanding insinutates that the lack of fossils found in human evolution may cast doubt on the theory. He sounds like a scientifically illiterate ignoramus who has just sifted their way through some intelligent design propaganda.

Why doesn't he point out the probability of fossilation is only about 1 / million and the probability of finding one about the same, which by simple mathematics make every fossil find of our ancestors species a miracle in statistical terms? Why doesn't he go through the simple mathematics in DNA which have confirmed evolution an infinite amount of times and provide even stronger evidence than fossils?

If you want a pop Science book so that you can understand science just skip this book. Science is a very area broad area now. Experts in Physics are not experts in Biology. Experts in Biology are not experts in Physics. A writer with no scientific expertise is certainly not an expert in anything scientific. If you really want to understand science, pick a branch of science and then pick the appropriate expert. Someone like Feymen for Physics, Dawkins for Biology or Hawking for the Universe.

Before you do any of that, make sure you understand the scientific method as described by Karl Popper. This is the framework that underpins all science and what makes science an exceptionally reliable paradigm. It's why planes fly and why we know the origins of all species on our planet.

If you couldn't give a monkeys about understanding and just want lots of scientific trivia; dates and names rather than any real understanding, yes sadly this book could be a runner.


Essential introduction to science!, 23 Sep 2008
This book is not only highy educational, but very entertaining, and Bryson's writting style makes it fun, and it keeps you craving for more.
If would be a good idea to make this read a compulsory High School one, to excite the curiosity and the thirst for knowledge of our students, considering the fact that the more we know, the more we love.
It is a nearly complete and thorough overview on the main principles of science. Wery well informed with plenty of historical anecdotes and curiosities. I have learned and laughed so much!!!
A genius's work.

Not for me, 25 Aug 2008
I started out with enthusiasm with this book but should have read the title a little more carefully. A short 'history'of nearly everything with the emphasis on HISTORY. This book goes into great detail on how and when each new bit of information was discovered with biographies of the scientists involved. This was not really what I wanted to read about as would prefer just to know the latest most up to date information and there are plenty much more interesting books on these topics, I have been browsing the Lonely Planet version on space and science which is illustrated and topical. Dont wish to offend fans of Bill Bryson, it is probably my mistake.

How to learn very little about quite a lot, 24 Aug 2008
Bill Bryson's book is an attempt to discuss the origins of life, the universe and everything contained therein. It's slightly tongue-in-cheek title indicates that this isn't going to be some heavyweight, academic discussion but more of a Now That's What I Call Science! After all, no book can seriously claim to be all-encompassing and completely comprehensive on any one subject, let alone "everything."

A Short History of Nearly Everything is clearly written to be a book that appeals to people who wouldn't normally want to read a whole book about gravity, molecular science, or paleontology; as a result, the book falls betwixt two stools: it skims superficially pretty much every subject it touches upon, so those only mildly interested won't learn much and those who have already read something on their specialised subject probably won't learn anything they didn't already know.

The first half of the book is the most interesting, containing some great anecdotes about the famous names of science (Newton, Darwin and so forth); this section shines and brings to life people whose names have become synonymous with their subject matter. However, as the various disciplines become more professionalised, the well of anecdotal material runs short, and the book loses much of its appeal.

One of the key themes of this work, which is not overtly stated but seems unmissable, is that the narrative of the history of science is quite different from how the mainstream media portrays science itself. Specifically, science is often presented as being the concept of a battle over evidence: how an idea is proposed, evidence is put forth in support, counterevidence is held up against it and ultimately, whichever theory fits most of the facts is deemed to be that which is most probable. This is not the case, according to Bryson's book. What is deemed to be scientifically true is determined just as much by factors of cultural acceptance as objective facts. Theories are put forth, ignored, then ridiculed, then, when the evidence becomes such that it can neither be marginalised nor mocked, the theory is embraced and history effectively rewritten so that science can be presented as being the onward march of progress and enlightenment. A reassuring but historically dubious narrative.

A Short History... is marketed around the "Bill Bryson" brand: his low-key charm, wit and self-effacing humour is meant to enliven the driest of subjects. Therefore, if you enjoy his style, then you will probably enjoy this book and indeed, the book was charmingly well written and certainly easy to consume. However, at best, A Short History of Nearly Everything is a shallow introduction to the key disciplines of the various sciences, animated by some fine anecdotal touches. Bryson's book will probably provide a drop-off point for those wishing to explore in greater breadth subjects of which their curiosity has been piqued.

Superb, 12 Apr 2007
As with all Dummies books, this one is excellent. Covers all areas of Anatomy and Physiology from A'Level and through to at least 2nd Year Degree level. Physiological Systems and Anatomy are explained in a humorous way with many well thought out analigies to really give you a understanding of complex subjects. once again if you are doing A'Level or starting a degree in any human based science then this is a must have. Superb

Ain't the body great?, 21 Dec 2006
This book is really good at getting someone from basic biology to understanding how the body works. The book flows through from cells to organs and then onto how the organs work together, just so that you can still be alive to read this review!

It does try to make light of things, with jokes here and there (you may even giggle at some of them too) and also lots of examples to help things sink-in.


Great book that's really easy to understand., 22 Oct 2004
This is a great book which I highly recommend. It explains everything in very simple terms making it easy to get your head round. I am a nursing student and used it to help me through my anatomy and physiology exam. It was fantastic for helping me to lay the foundations needed to get to grips with some of the more complicated aspects of a&p. That said it was not as detailed as I would have needed to completely get me through the exam. I found it worked well as a book to read before looking at the more detailed and technical text books which are a lot more daunting.

It uses lots of every day examples to make things easier to understand and remember. For example it likens the negative and positive feedback systems within the body to a thermostat like you might have in your home which will only make changes if the environmental temperature changes.

Makes anatomy & physiology very accessible.

Wonderful - this is what everyone is getting for Christmas this year!, 09 Oct 2008
A great book about medicine, and to a lesser extent science. Lots of stuff about statistics and evidence-based medicine, clearly explained. Goldacre is just brilliant - witty, charming, sensible. Buy this, read it, give it to your friends who take homeopathic remedies for non-existent conditions. Give it your friends who work for drug companies too. Above all, give it to anyone who works in the media, in the hope that they might acquire a modicum of scientific literacy.

Thoroughly excellent, 07 Oct 2008
A thoroughly excellent book from a practising doctor and medical researcher, who is also one of the few science journalists to actually understand scientific method. He is nearly a lone voice in the media, exposing the astonishing journey of 'health news' from the pages of academic journals to the tabloids and broadsheets, without passing through a critical brain in between. Thus, on a daily basis, the papers produce "X CAUSES/CURES CANCER" stories, based on very shaky understanding of experiments done in a petri dish. Whilst these stories may give false hope or fear to thousands of people, which is bad enough, in the case of MMR, they actually caused harm. He also explains how and why science fails to explain itself clearly and loudly in the face of emotionally charged 'my son has autism due to MMR' stories.

Goldacre also lays bare the facts about such 'complementary' therapies such as Homeopathy and Nutritionism, which when stripped of the accolades given them in the media, are revealed to be little more than eccentric ideas which somehow have gained unquestioning credence in the popular mind, and even, perversely, created a deep-rooted suspicion of maninstream medicine which is now taken at face value.

I thoroughly recommend this book, especially for journalists, but it is also essential reading for scientists, doctors and anyone who finds their mouth flapping when trying to put their friends / family straight on why spending 100 quid on dipping their feet in water and watching it go brown is a spectacular waste of money.

Final thoughts - if this book demonstrates how bad science reporting is, what else is being reported badly that we should know about? Finance? Politics? Help!! Also, why is there no organisation with teeth that can bring people to account for irresponsible reporting? A free press is central to our world of course, but not a wild press, trampling all over everyone and everything without so much as a backward glance.

a must read book, 05 Oct 2008
This is one of those books that you read and then imemdiately want to purchase for virtually everybody you know - the ones who will already agree, and the ones who will argue (using bad science) until they are blue in the face.
This is an amusing, informative and very interesting read that addresses some highly disturbing stories, such as the MMR media hoax, MRSA testing, "studies" involving thousands of children, the qualifications of certain "doctors" and many more besides.
At the same time as drawing our attention to these issues we also learn about scientific testing, statistics, health related matters and more, but in a way that amazingly is not patronising, not overly simplified and highly entertaining.
This is a book where you definitely learn a great deal, but laugh a lot at the same time. This was one of those books where I found myself "tsktsking" and shaking my head whilst on the bus, and exclaiming "hah, listen to this" to my bemused housemate whenever something particularly caught my attention.
I would urge everyone to read this book, it should be compulsory reading for teens and adult alike. I have a feeling a lot of my friends may find this in their stocking this xmas!
Now stop reading reviews and add it to your basket ;-)

An Example To Us All, 03 Oct 2008
This is an important book, which should be read by everyone. The spread of "foo" and "pseudoscience" is creating a world of superstition and irrational thinking, which needs to be corrected before the advances of the Enlightenment are lost to history. When people are bombarded with "science" which has been "modified" and/or "selected" by PR departments, from every direction, it's hardly surprising that such garbage is given the credibility it doesn't deserve. In this book Ben Goldacre shows just how close to home it can be.

He writes in a very chatty style and the first word that came to mind was "passionate". The misrepresentation and deliberate misleading of the public by the media, is clearly very close to Ben's heart. As others have said, it is very similar in style and content to the website, which is hardly surprising.

All-in-all a creditable and important first effort which deserves all the positive reviews. I hope he can do more in the future. What would be even more satisfying though, would be if other scientists and journalists could follow his example and show this "pseudoscientific" garbage for what it really is. An excellent read. Buy it !

An excellent primer in your bulls**t detection studies, 02 Oct 2008
A quick, well-paced, well-structured and all-round excellent introduction to critical thinking and cutting through the media myth surrounding everything.

Everyone should read this.

An excellent little book, 18 Jul 2008
This little gem of a book should be in every backpackers back pocket. Concise, focused and descriptive you'll have no trouble identifying the plants and shellfish. There has been some comments about lack of information on animals to eat, this is probably because rabbits, pheasants and such are classed as game and will belong to the landowner. Whilst it's ok to pick a few plants, mushrooms and shellfish it will probably be frowned on if you start blasting away at the countryside or setting traps!

A Handy Pocket Volume, 13 Aug 2007


Richard Mabey is the author of several books on flora and fauna so he is well qualified to write a book such as this. Over one hundred edible plants are featured together with recipes and other culinary information. There is also information on how to pick and when to pick and the regulations on picking which are very important. As I come from farming stock I have to say that food for free does not mean going into a field and digging up a few potato plants or for that matter cabbages.

There are plenty of hedgerow plants available for free, if you are prepared to look for them and suffer the odd few scratches. There is nothing better than a bowl of freshly picked blackberries or raspberries, if you can get them home before they are all eaten.

Plants that are edible are fully illustrated and described and the recipes are both old and new. Other fascinating information is how the plants have been used through the ages. An ideal book for all those who are nature lovers and like the idea of something for nothing. I think the last part covers 99.9% of the population.

Good Introduction, 02 May 2007
I bought this book recently through a desire to understand the countryside around me and try some of its natural foodstuffs.
The book is very well presented and includes an excellent foreword by the author. It provides a basic explaination of the various flora, a little of their natural and culinary history and there are nice photographs with identification hints.
I think I would like to have seen more recipies and ways in which they might be implemented. In the section dedicated to Spring I think there are only three recipies with much of the other suggestions directed towards salads. On balance a satisfactory purchase but I think that if my interest in wild foods develops I will certainly have to follow up my purchase with something more wholly dedicated to the culinary.

Excellent pocket sized guide, 05 Feb 2006
This is a 2004 version and worthy addition to the very popular and pocket-sized Collins Gem series. ISBN 0-00-718303-8. Food For Free - A Fantastic Feast of Plants and Folklore.

The book starts with an introduction by the author Richard Mabey. It then has short sections titled 'Roots', 'Green Vegetables', 'Herbs', 'Spices', 'Flowers', 'Fruits', 'Making Jellies and Jams' and 'Nuts'. They include general advice, observations and uses. The main section of the book is given over to identification, with at least two pages per entry. An interesting section follows titled ’Picking Rules’ which gives advice on how to pick correctly how to stay safe. The last section before the main body of the book is a summary calendar which groups the picking times for entries into a colour-coded calendar - very useful as a quick reference.

Every entry is accompanied with a drawing. Most of the drawings are excellent, but one or two are a little small and thus less detailed. Fortunately, almost every entry also has a photograph. The combination of colour drawings and colour photographs is what makes this little pocket book a true 'gem'. If the drawing is a little weak, the photo will be excellent and vice-versa. Almost fool proof.

Each entry starts with the common English name (Latin is in small type at the top of the page)a colour illustration and description. Taking Beech (at random), it says: 'Widespread and common throughout the British Isles, especially on chalky soils. A stately deciduous tree, with smooth, grey bark, to 40m (130ft). Leaves: bright green, alternate, oval. Flowers: male drooping, stalked heads; female in pairs. Fruit: four inside a prickly brown husk, Sept-Oct. When ripe this opens into four lobes, this liberating the brown, three-sided nuts.' The illustration depicts a leaf, spring twig with unopened buds, an opening husk revealing nut inside and bare nut. The article continues with headings; Harvest/Pick, Uses, Beech Nut, Beech Nut Oil, Beech Leaf Noyau. The photo at the end of the entry is a good close-up of a twig with a cluster of husks. (I didn’t know, for example, that ‘fresh from the tree Beech leaves are a fine salad vegetable, as sweet as a mild cabbage though much softer in texture’.)

The book, in line with its title, covers Plants and Trees, Fungi, Seaweeds and Shellfish. There is a glossary at the end and a page devoted to further reading. There is a List of Recipes and finally an index of entries in common English or Latin.

There aren't that many books devoted to 'British' wild foods so to find one which lists over 100 edible plants, berries, mushrooms, seaweed and shellfish is most welcome. Given the true pocket size measurements of the Collins Gem series of books, the price of a fiver (£4-99) and the quality of each entry, this is as good as it gets. Obviously not a benchmark reference work or field-guide, but at least this fits in the pocket - which is the main purpose of such books, isn't it? Five stars!

Excites the interest but not actually that practical, 26 Oct 2005
This is an excellent book but in the wrong package. Richard Mabey does a very good job of giving a seasonal guide to what's out there that you can have for free and does a respectable job of telling you how to use it. It falls short in two respects;

First it is not a comprehensive guide to any particular food source so while he may tell you how to cook ceps and morels and gives a reasonable guide to identifying it without this being a comprehensive guide to fungi you will never be entirely certain that what you have is a cep or a morel. To some extent that is true for everything he shows whether its fungi, nuts or fruit.

The second point is more significant for a book on foraging and is that this edition is simply too big to take into the field. In some ways this isn't a significant problem as because the book isn't comprehensive it wouldn't be the choice to take into the field with you.

This book falls somewhere between the coffee table forager's manual and Delia goes wild. Both of which might sound like criticisms but for someone who hasn't foraged wild food previously both of those would be the ideal starting point. If that's you then buy this book and read it but leave it at home when you go out and get a good field guide to take with you.

Note - since writing that review I have realised that this is available in several editions. Some of the other editions are small enough to use as a field guide.

A fascinating and exciting insight into our exsistence., 05 Oct 2008
Well I love a good Bill Bryson book and this is surely the best. As a travel writer he has kept me interested and amused with many an exciting journey but this rates as the best journey he has ever written. A journey that takes the layman on a travel experience spanning billions of years including an insight into all the sciences and ologies one can imagine. If only I had been able to read science at school like this...I might well have found an interest.

Overrated, 23 Sep 2008
I am skeptical of journalists or writers who think they can write a book about anything. Yeah sure they've a great gift for writing but that doesn't mean they have a great gift for understanding! All too often they think they understand something when they simply don't.

I really can't fathom that in a long book which is supposed to be a "all you need to know" about the science, the scientific method itself isn't even explained. This means the mechanism which establishes science as most objective and reliable paradigm we have for establishing objective truth about the universe is omitted. Now, there's a countless amount of facts, dates, figures and 'imagine this' type stuff all there with the assumed intent of making a reader go wow. All very well, some of it will fuse the imagination, but let's not forget that the scientific method is what defines science and differentiates between science and pseudo-science. Without it, we have no way of differentiating the reliability between the big bang theory and crystal healers.

Too many times, instead of explaining principles and concepts, Bryson opts for facts about dates. It really doesn't matter if it was 1915, 1916, or 1917 when Einstein published his theory on general relativity what matters is what it is saying, the concepts that underpin it and why we can be confident it's correct. In this regard, Byrson comes up well short. Someone like Simon Singh, Stephen Hawking, just about anyone with scientific training does a much better job.

He does make reasonable attempts at describing many of the Scientific theories, but there are times when his understanding is just way off.

For example, when he discusses the theory of evolution which is just as sound as the theory of gravity in terms of the scientific method. Both are testifiable, falsifiable, have huge amounts of evidence (one billion+ fossils and infinite amount of DNA evidence), been through the same peer reviewing processes etc. So, in scientific terms doubting evolution is like doubting gravity. It's just asinine. Perhaps Bryson should think about that the next time he gets on a plane.

His poor understanding insinutates that the lack of fossils found in human evolution may cast doubt on the theory. He sounds like a scientifically illiterate ignoramus who has just sifted their way through some intelligent design propaganda.

Why doesn't he point out the probability of fossilation is only about 1 / million and the probability of finding one about the same, which by simple mathematics make every fossil find of our ancestors species a miracle in statistical terms? Why doesn't he go through the simple mathematics in DNA which have confirmed evolution an infinite amount of times and provide even stronger evidence than fossils?

If you want a pop Science book so that you can understand science just skip this book. Science is a very area broad area now. Experts in Physics are not experts in Biology. Experts in Biology are not experts in Physics. A writer with no scientific expertise is certainly not an expert in anything scientific. If you really want to understand science, pick a branch of science and then pick the appropriate expert. Someone like Feymen for Physics, Dawkins for Biology or Hawking for the Universe.

Before you do any of that, make sure you understand the scientific method as described by Karl Popper. This is the framework that underpins all science and what makes science an exceptionally reliable paradigm. It's why planes fly and why we know the origins of all species on our planet.

If you couldn't give a monkeys about understanding and just want lots of scientific trivia; dates and names rather than any real understanding, yes sadly this book could be a runner.


Essential introduction to science!, 23 Sep 2008
This book is not only highy educational, but very entertaining, and Bryson's writting style makes it fun, and it keeps you craving for more.
If would be a good idea to make this read a compulsory High School one, to excite the curiosity and the thirst for knowledge of our students, considering the fact that the more we know, the more we love.
It is a nearly complete and thorough overview on the main principles of science. Wery well informed with plenty of historical anecdotes and curiosities. I have learned and laughed so much!!!
A genius's work.

Not for me, 25 Aug 2008
I started out with enthusiasm with this book but should have read the title a little more carefully. A short 'history'of nearly everything with the emphasis on HISTORY. This book goes into great detail on how and when each new bit of information was discovered with biographies of the scientists involved. This was not really what I wanted to read about as would prefer just to know the latest most up to date information and there are plenty much more interesting books on these topics, I have been browsing the Lonely Planet version on space and science which is illustrated and topical. Dont wish to offend fans of Bill Bryson, it is probably my mistake.

How to learn very little about quite a lot, 24 Aug 2008
Bill Bryson's book is an attempt to discuss the origins of life, the universe and everything contained therein. It's slightly tongue-in-cheek title indicates that this isn't going to be some heavyweight, academic discussion but more of a Now That's What I Call Science! After all, no book can seriously claim to be all-encompassing and completely comprehensive on any one subject, let alone "everything."

A Short History of Nearly Everything is clearly written to be a book that appeals to people who wouldn't normally want to read a whole book about gravity, molecular science, or paleontology; as a result, the book falls betwixt two stools: it skims superficially pretty much every subject it touches upon, so those only mildly interested won't learn much and those who have already read something on their specialised subject probably won't learn anything they didn't already know.

The first half of the book is the most interesting, containing some great anecdotes about the famous names of science (Newton, Darwin and so forth); this section shines and brings to life people whose names have become synonymous with their subject matter. However, as the various disciplines become more professionalised, the well of anecdotal material runs short, and the book loses much of its appeal.

One of the key themes of this work, which is not overtly stated but seems unmissable, is that the narrative of the history of science is quite different from how the mainstream media portrays science itself. Specifically, science is often presented as being the concept of a battle over evidence: how an idea is proposed, evidence is put forth in support, counterevidence is held up against it and ultimately, whichever theory fits most of the facts is deemed to be that which is most probable. This is not the case, according to Bryson's book. What is deemed to be scientifically true is determined just as much by factors of cultural acceptance as objective facts. Theories are put forth, ignored, then ridiculed, then, when the evidence becomes such that it can neither be marginalised nor mocked, the theory is embraced and history effectively rewritten so that science can be presented as being the onward march of progress and enlightenment. A reassuring but historically dubious narrative.

A Short History... is marketed around the "Bill Bryson" brand: his low-key charm, wit and self-effacing humour is meant to enliven the driest of subjects. Therefore, if you enjoy his style, then you will probably enjoy this book and indeed, the book was charmingly well written and certainly easy to consume. However, at best, A Short History of Nearly Everything is a shallow introduction to the key disciplines of the various sciences, animated by some fine anecdotal touches. Bryson's book will probably provide a drop-off point for those wishing to explore in greater breadth subjects of which their curiosity has been piqued.

Superb, 12 Apr 2007
As with all Dummies books, this one is excellent. Covers all areas of Anatomy and Physiology from A'Level and through to at least 2nd Year Degree level. Physiological Systems and Anatomy are explained in a humorous way with many well thought out analigies to really give you a understanding of complex subjects. once again if you are doing A'Level or starting a degree in any human based science then this is a must have. Superb

Ain't the body great?, 21 Dec 2006
This book is really good at getting someone from basic biology to understanding how the body works. The book flows through from cells to organs and then onto how the organs work together, just so that you can still be alive to read this review!

It does try to make light of things, with jokes here and there (you may even giggle at some of them too) and also lots of examples to help things sink-in.


Great book that's really easy to understand., 22 Oct 2004
This is a great book which I highly recommend. It explains everything in very simple terms making it easy to get your head round. I am a nursing student and used it to help me through my anatomy and physiology exam. It was fantastic for helping me to lay the foundations needed to get to grips with some of the more complicated aspects of a&p. That said it was not as detailed as I would have needed to completely get me through the exam. I found it worked well as a book to read before looking at the more detailed and technical text books which are a lot more daunting.

It uses lots of every day examples to make things easier to understand and remember. For example it likens the negative and positive feedback systems within the body to a thermostat like you might have in your home which will only make changes if the environmental temperature changes.

Makes anatomy & physiology very accessible.

Couldn't put it down!, 22 Sep 2008
If you are one of those people who love collecting useless, and not so useless, information then this is for you. I've already quoted excerpts to lots of people and it has led to many fascinating discussions!

It also gives a link to the quirkology website that lets you keep on reading and gives access to several video clips of quirkology items.

If the name/profession link described in the book also works by association, then perhaps it explains why my dad became a computer programmer in the 60's - when he married my mum her initials were IBM!

The wonderful world of Quirk..., 29 Jul 2008
Wiseman certainly chose the right title for this book - it is quirktastic! As he takes us on a journey through the bizarre, surreal and fascinating world of everyday phenomena, Wiseman justifies his position as Britain's (only) professor for the Public Understanding of Psychology many times over.

For the most part our writer effortlessly takes the mundane and presents a series of experiments which instantly reveal a wealth of curious insights into the more lighthearted side of the human condition. Of particular `quirk' were the sections devoted to superstition (why people would rather wear a jumped that was dropped in dog muck than was washed but had been worn by a mass murderer), jokes (why weasels are the funniest animal and K the most humorous of the alphabet letters) and kindness (which group of people are most likely to post a undelivered letter addressed to `Friends of the Nazi Party' and how to convince people to promote collectivism in their back gardens). Less exciting was his talk of names (p.136) and tallness (p.149) and their influence on people in society. Although mundane to me but quite possibly quirky to you...?

Overall a thoroughly entertaining book which, excluding the abovementioned sections, could only have been improved if Wiseman (who possesses a personality as quirky as his book) had popped out and read it aloud to me!

P.S I would have given this 4.5 stars had Amazon's little rigid system let me..


A quirky book filled with good pub ammo, 28 Jun 2008
This book is very easy to read and hard to put down. It answers all those questions that we all have but are afraid to ask because they are not deemed to be "clever" enough.

Buy this and then when the converstation is running dry just mention one of the numerous facts and quirks that you have learned. You will impress and enlighted those around you.

Brilliant, 20 Jun 2008
A fantastic book, I was gripped from start to finish.
Richard Wiseman sums up a few of the subjects covered towards the end of the book that would prove great conversation at a dinner party. This does not disapoint.
The book is written so well it reads itself, and the humour is present throughout.
As a first psycology book, I found it left me wanting to read more about our curious Quirkological behaviours (and the ingenious ways scientists have found to expose them).

Good fun., 13 May 2008
This is great fun; an easy to dip into, undemanding read.

Worth buying, if only to do the experiment to find out whether you are a good liar or not, or to read the world's funniest joke!

It did not get full marks from me because I found that, after a great start, it tails off towards the end.

Richard Dawkins is not a shy man. Edward Larson's research shows that most scientists today are not formally religious, but Dawkins is an in-your-face atheist:

I want to persuade the reader, not just that the Darwinian world-view happens to be true, but that it is the only known theory that could, in principle, solve the mystery of our existence.

The title of this 1986 work, Dawkins's second book, refers to the Rev. William Paley's 1802 work, Natural Theology, which argued that just as finding a watch would lead you to conclude that a watchmaker must exist, the complexity of living organisms proves that a Creator exists.

Not so, says Dawkins: "All appearances to the contrary, the only watchmaker in nature is the blind forces of physics, albeit deployed in a very special way...it is the blind watchmaker".

Dawkins is a hard-core scientist: he doesn't just tell you what is so, he shows you how to find out for yourself. For this book, he wrote Biomorph, one of the first artificial life programs.

Wonderful - this is what everyone is getting for Christmas this year!, 09 Oct 2008
A great book about medicine, and to a lesser extent science. Lots of stuff about statistics and evidence-based medicine, clearly explained. Goldacre is just brilliant - witty, charming, sensible. Buy this, read it, give it to your friends who take homeopathic remedies for non-existent conditions. Give it your friends who work for drug companies too. Above all, give it to anyone who works in the media, in the hope that they might acquire a modicum of scientific literacy.

Thoroughly excellent, 07 Oct 2008
A thoroughly excellent book from a practising doctor and medical researcher, who is also one of the few science journalists to actually understand scientific method. He is nearly a lone voice in the media, exposing the astonishing journey of 'health news' from the pages of academic journals to the tabloids and broadsheets, without passing through a critical brain in between. Thus, on a daily basis, the papers produce "X CAUSES/CURES CANCER" stories, based on very shaky understanding of experiments done in a petri dish. Whilst these stories may give false hope or fear to thousands of people, which is bad enough, in the case of MMR, they actually caused harm. He also explains how and why science fails to explain itself clearly and loudly in the face of emotionally charged 'my son has autism due to MMR' stories.

Goldacre also lays bare the facts about such 'complementary' therapies such as Homeopathy and Nutritionism, which when stripped of the accolades given them in the media, are revealed to be little more than eccentric ideas which somehow have gained unquestioning credence in the popular mind, and even, perversely, created a deep-rooted suspicion of maninstream medicine which is now taken at face value.

I thoroughly recommend this book, especially for journalists, but it is also essential reading for scientists, doctors and anyone who finds their mouth flapping when trying to put their friends / family straight on why spending 100 quid on dipping their feet in water and watching it go brown is a spectacular waste of money.

Final thoughts - if this book demonstrates how bad science reporting is, what else is being reported badly that we should know about? Finance? Politics? Help!! Also, why is there no organisation with teeth that can bring people to account for irresponsible reporting? A free press is central to our world of course, but not a wild press, trampling all over everyone and everything without so much as a backward glance.

a must read book, 05 Oct 2008
This is one of those books that you read and then imemdiately want to purchase for virtually everybody you know - the ones who will already agree, and the ones who will argue (using bad science) until they are blue in the face.
This is an amusing, informative and very interesting read that addresses some highly disturbing stories, such as the MMR media hoax, MRSA testing, "studies" involving thousands of children, the qualifications of certain "doctors" and many more besides.
At the same time as drawing our attention to these issues we also learn about scientific testing, statistics, health related matters and more, but in a way that amazingly is not patronising, not overly simplified and highly entertaining.
This is a book where you definitely learn a great deal, but laugh a lot at the same time. This was one of those books where I found myself "tsktsking" and shaking my head whilst on the bus, and exclaiming "hah, listen to this" to my bemused housemate whenever something particularly caught my attention.
I would urge everyone to read this book, it should be compulsory reading for teens and adult alike. I have a feeling a lot of my friends may find this in their stocking this xmas!
Now stop reading reviews and add it to your basket ;-)

An Example To Us All, 03 Oct 2008
This is an important book, which should be read by everyone. The spread of "foo" and "pseudoscience" is creating a world of superstition and irrational thinking, which needs to be corrected before the advances of the Enlightenment are lost to history. When people are bombarded with "science" which has been "modified" and/or "selected" by PR departments, from every direction, it's hardly surprising that such garbage is given the credibility it doesn't deserve. In this book Ben Goldacre shows just how close to home it can be.

He writes in a very chatty style and the first word that came to mind was "passionate". The misrepresentation and deliberate misleading of the public by the media, is clearly very close to Ben's heart. As others have said, it is very similar in style and content to the website, which is hardly surprising.